Lessons in Friendship
by Broken Angel01
Summary: Davis' and T.K.'s fighting is getting out of control, and Ken decides to take action by giving Davis a little lesson on the value of friendship. Who better to teach him than the Bearer of Friendship himself?
1. Dilemma

Lessons In Friendship

**A/N: When I first posted this story on April 11th back in 2005, it...well...received rather mixed reviews. It was the first story I had ever posted on this site, on any site if you want to know the truth, and to put it bluntly, it was a bit of a flop. Both grammar and spelling for this fic** **were terrible and I most definitely didn't have the same grasp on the characters as I do now, despite having watched all seasons of Digimon and being a huge fan. In other words, my reviewers were completely right, even if I hadn't wanted to admit it to myself at the time. Now, several years later I've had a chance to come back to this story to do some major editing, and though** **the story hasn't lost its original spirit**,** it is much improved to the point where I don't think my original reviewers will recognize it anymore. Not because the story has changed, but because I've become much more in tune with the characters and my writing, and I have much more respect for the fandom and for writing in general. Thus, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of my original reviewers. If it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't be the same writer I am today. I'm much improved, but there's still much I have to learn, and with every story I keep getting better. To any new reviewers, it would be much appreciated if you reviewed as I still read every review I get, even for old stories, and for old reviewers, by all means drop me another review, anonymously if you have to, to let me know what you think of the improved version. And to the reviewer who now calls himself Fanfiction's Lawbreaker, in many ways you were right as well, and I credit a lot of my eventual success on this site to you**. **Your words were harsh, but they were just what I needed to improve my writing, so I thank you for that. You'll probably never read this, but that's okay. It's the thought that counts. For every bad review I got, I probably deserved it, but I learned and this is the result. I didn't give up and that's my message to all of you. Your first story might not be a success, as was the case with me, but never give up. Eventually those good reviews will come, and you'll feel much more proud of yourself when they do, especially since you'll know then that they're well deserved.- Broken Angel01 (May 6th, 2011)**

Chapter 1: Dilemma

"Oh no. No way! Forget it, Ken, there's no way I'm talking to _him_!"

Twelve year old former Digimon Emperor Ken Ichijouji sighed and sat down on the ground next to his best friend, twelve year old Davis Motomiya. To his amusement, the goggle-headed Digidestined leader was currently glaring at him and looking rather alarmed by his suggestion.

"Davis, listen...This fighting between you and T.K. has got to stop before you guys end up really hurting each other."

"Well, maybe if Saint Dorkus would quit acting like he's better than me we wouldn't have a problem, would we!"

Ken put a hand to his forehead, trying not to scream with frustration.

It wasn't working very well.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and the two of them were walking down the street, heading towards the Motomiya residence. What should have been a nice, peaceful stroll through the streets of Odaiba was unfortunately turning out to be a major headache, seeing as how they were having the same stupid argument they had pretty much everyday, only this time the former Emperor was not so willing to give up. T.K and Davis were both his friends, and he was tired of being stuck in the middle of all their fights.

It was time for him to resort to drastic measures.

Reaching out, he grabbed Davis by the wrist, and without further ado he started to drag the goggle-headed leader down the street towards the highschool, where he knew a certain blond musician would be watching his best friend's soccer practice.

Davis finally clued into what he was doing, and immediately the goggle-headed leader started to protest. "Ken, would you quit it! I told you, it won't do any good anyway. In case you failed to notice, Matt and I...well, we don't exactly get along too well. I mean, sure we're friends, but...I don't know...Crest of Friendship and all that. Sometimes I can't help thinking that giving Matt the Crest of Friendship might have been the Digital World's idea of a joke. Either that or Gennai accidentally got the crests mixed up when he was escaping the Dark Masters!"

Ken frowned at his best friend, his violet eyes filling with disapproval. "I know it's hard to believe, but Matt might actually be able to help you. T.K. is his brother, after all."

"So? That doesn't mean anything! And you know I get along better with Tai. I...don't think Matt really thinks very much of me..."

Thankfully, at this point in their conversation, the soccer field came into sight, and Ken spotted the older Digidestined sitting around a picnic table, talking amongst themselves. Izzy, as usual, was typing away on his computer, Mimi was filing her nails, Sora was tossing a tennis ball into the air and catching it, while Matt was frowning down at a piece of paper in his hands, occasionally making a notation. Tai was racing across the soccer field with the ball in his possession and his teammates right behind him.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Mimi called from her seat on top of the table next to Matt.

"Actually, Matt? We wanted to talk to you, if that's okay," Ken said seriously, shooting Davis a look, who made a face at him in return.

Handsome blond Matt Ishida, musician extraordinaire and lead singer of the Teenage Wolves, lifted his deep sapphire eyes to gaze at them with mild interest. "What is it?" he asked, the blank look on his face giving them no indication as to how he was feeling at the moment.

Thanks to the golden-haired Digidestined's monotonous response, it was hard to judge his mood. He sounded neither interested in what they had to say, nor annoyed that they had interrupted him in the middle of writing a song.

_Which could mean...well, anything really..._

Ken placed a smile on his face and he gave Davis a push, nearly knocking the goggle-headed leader over the table and straight into Matt's lap. Somehow, Davis managed to steady himself just in time, and he sank into the seat opposite the blond musician, looking very uncomfortable. "Actually, Davis wanted to talk to you."

"I did not!" Davis squawked, looking indignant.

Matt raised a golden eyebrow, and he glanced between the two of them, his expression never changing. "Is anyone going to bother telling me what's going on?"

Seeing as how Davis was too angry to reply, Ken answered for him. "It's about T.K."

Matt sighed and slowly set aside his writing, glancing once at the soccer field, where Tai had just scored a goal. "If this is about Kari again, I don't want to hear it. When are you two going to learn that it's her decision who she wants to go out with, not yours?"

Ken quickly shook his head. "No, it's more than that. Davis, why don't you explain."

Davis snorted loudly. "What, to him? You've got to be kidding me!"

Matt's eyes narrowed into a frown "What's that supposed to mean?"

Davis smirked at him, but despite the look on the goggle-headed leader's face, Ken could tell his friend was panicking slightly, which he knew could be very bad. "Sorry, Matt, I know you have the Crest of Friendship and all, but...well, you're not exactly the person I'd go to for advice on this kind of thing. I mean...how does Tai stand it? I know! It must be having his pick of all the fan girls!"

At this point, Ken felt a sudden strong desire to smack himself in the forehead.

_Uh oh..._

Seeing the look in Matt's deep blue eyes and the way the golden-haired Digidestined's face had paled slightly, his entire body becoming as rigid as an ice sculpture, Ken could tell Davis had really stepped over the line this time, and as a result, his heart sank like a rock. For a moment, it looked as if Matt was going to reach over the picnic table and smack the goggle-headed leader across the face, but instead he clenched his hands into tight fists and glared at Davis, his eyes as hard as ice and his words deathly quiet. "That was low, Davis, even for you."

"Well, it's kinda true, you know. I don't get it. Why is everyone always getting on my case about T.O.? You and Tai fight more in one day than the two of us have since we met! Shouldn't you be the ones in the hot seat? I've barely ever seen you even give Tai so much as a smile! "

"Davis," Izzy warned, glancing anxiously at Matt. The computer whiz had dragged himself out of his techno world long enough to figure out that the tension in the atmosphere was thickening, and judging by the look on his face he didn't seem too happy about it.

Davis, being as clueless as usual, continued to rant. "Sometimes you act like you don't even care about him at all. Sorry, Ken, but I think I'd rather get my friendship advice from someone who actually practices what he preaches instead of ragging on me all the time."

_This is turning out at all like I was hoping it would..._

Davis went to stand up, but Matt's hand on his arm stopped him. "What?"

Davis tried to pull his arm away, but the blond held on tight, the look in his eyes making the goggle-headed leader pause. "Davis...you really think after everything we've all been through that I don't care about Tai?"


	2. Not So Obvious

Disclaimer: I have to admit, I forgot the disclaimer at the beginning, so here it is, I don't own Digimon or anything related to it. And there you have it. Onto the next chapter!

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter 2: Not So Obvious

Davis stared at Matt for a moment, a slightly guilty look on his face, and muttering to himself he quickly dropped back into his seat, a tiny frown appearing on his face. "I never said that. It's just...sometimes it's hard to believe you got the Crest of Friendship. I mean...you always act kind of cold, stuck up, snobby, cynical..."

"Please go on, you flatter me," Matt replied, looking as if he were trying not to laugh.

Davis glared at him. "See, Ken? This is exactly why I didn't want to talk to him. He never takes me seriously."

The former Emperor sighed, and smiling to himself he sank down next to Davis on the bench, determined not to let things get out of hand. This conversation was getting absolutely nowhere, and if he didn't speed things up soon, they would be stuck at the soccer field forever. To his surprise, Matt smiled at Davis, and reaching over the table, the blond musician gave his younger friend's goggles a tweak to get his attention. "Davis, can I ask you a question?"

In response, the younger boy gave Matt a suspicious look."Depends on what it is."

"Do you like my brother?"

Once again, Davis stared at Matt before letting out an irritated sigh. "Well, yeah, of course I do. That's not the problem. I just don't like the fact that he acts as if I'm the one who's always starting the fights and he gets off looking all innocent."

At this sudden confession, Matt sat back in his seat, looking thoughtful. "Contrary to what you might think, I'm not completely blind to my little brother's misgivings. He's to blame every bit as much as you are for your arguments. No one's perfect, Davis. We all make mistakes."

Davis made a face, and Matt laughed. "Yes, even T.K."

"Okay, but you didn't answer my question."

Matt was the picture of innocence. "What question?"

"Do you really care about Tai? Dude, you have to admit, sometimes it can be hard to tell."

"Of course I do." Matt's voice was calm and serene, as if he had just made a comment on the weather. Davis blinked at the golden-haired Digidestined in surprise, shifting slightly in his seat, and realizing that Davis had turned to look at him, Ken merely shrugged, feeling confused.

When Davis didn't answer him, Matt gave the goggle-headed leader a sharp look. "What? No comment? Surprise, surprise. You never seem to run out of insults!"

"Prove it."

"Huh?" This time it was Matt's turn to look confused.

"If you care about Tai as much as you say you do, then prove it. If I find you convincing, I just might be willing to give T.J. a chance." A triumphant smile appeared on Davis's face, and he crossed his arms, looking as if he had already won the wager, though they had not even made the bet yet.

Unfortunately for the goggle-headed leader, that stubborn look had appeared in Matt's sapphire eyes "Fine," the blond said shortly, turning towards the soccer field. "Hey, Tai, do you mind coming over here for a second?"

Tai glanced up at the sound of his best friend's voice, and he nodded quickly, immediately dropping the soccer ball in his hands. The former Digidestined leader said a couple of words to his teammates before striding over to them with a smile on his face, though he looked a bit confused as to why he'd been summoned so abruptly. "What's up?" he asked, seating himself next to the blond musician.

Matt turned to gaze at Tai and his blue eyes took on a warmer tone. "Tai, you know I love you, right?"

Davis nearly fell out of his seat at this sudden declaration, his deep brown eyes almost popping out of their sockets in shock.

_Well, that was certainly...blunt._

Tai, being the ever cheerful, live for the moment, type of leader that he was, never even batted an eyelash. He just grinned at the blond musician and put an arm around him, his smile growing even wider. "Well, duh, of course you do. How could anyone not love me?"

The former leader managed to duck the textbook Matt threw at him, and it landed in the grass with a thud.

"You have a funny way of showing affection, Matt," Tai snorted, giving the golden-haired Digidestined an exaggerated look of disappointment. Matt just laughed and elbowed his best friend in the stomach, his sapphire eyes sparkling with affection.

"Modest, aren't you?" Mimi laughed, rolling her eyes at Tai.

"So, what's this about?" Tai asked, ignoring Mimi and glancing between Davis and Matt.

"The usual. Davis and T.K arguing. Again," Matt smirked. "So, Davis, did I win?"

Davis scratched the back of his head, giving the blond musician a funny look "I think I'm still trying to figure that out."

Matt sighed. "Look, Davis, the hardest thing to learn about friendship is that you have to work at it. It's not something that just happens. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to make a friendship succeed. "

"It's true, Davis. Do you think Matt and I didn't have our troubles like you and T.K.? Come on, you know better than that," Tai broke in, a faint smile on his lips. "There was a lot of sacrafice involved."

"My pride, for one thing," Matt said dryly.

"And my stubbornness."

"What do you mean that was a sacrafice? You're still stubborn now!"

"Do you want to get a point across to Davis, or not?"

"Of course, my apologies."

Tai smiled and patted Matt's shoulder. "That's better."

"Don't push your luck," the golden-haired Digidestined muttered. "Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that a friendship needs constant effort. It's not something you work on for a day, a week, or even a year. It's forever. For as long as you want the friendship to last."

"Right, so how long do you want your friendship with Tai to last?" Davis asked, sending his idol a quick look, though Tai appeared completely unconcerned by the question.

Matt smiled slightly, his sapphire eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunshine. "Well, we'll be best man at each other's weddings, name our firstborn sons after eachother, and then we'll end up in nursing homes, where Tai will be the friendly old man who tells stories to little kids and I'll be the cynical old man complaining about teenagers not showing respect to their elders!"

"Aw, Matt, I'm touched!" Tai grinned at the blond and laughed. Next to them, Sora and Mimi dissolved into a fit of giggles while Izzy continued to tap away on his computer, completely ignoring his fellow Digidestined.

Davis shook his head, and giving Tai a searching look, he said slowly, "What is it that you see in him?"

Tai turned to look at Matt, and he smiled softly before focusing his attention back on the younger leader. "You really want to know?"

"I wouldn't ask otherwise."

Tai nodded, and he gave Davis a small smile, his dark eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunshine. "What I see in Matt are all the things you _don't _see."


	3. Shades of Gray

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter 3: Shades of Gray

Ken watched with interest as Davis glanced curiously between Matt and Tai, his eyes finally settling on Tai. "What do you mean by that?"

Tai glanced at Matt out of the corner of his eye, giving the blond a fond look before replying. "What you see isn't always what you get. You know that better than anyone, Davis. Sometimes what's hidden beneath the surface is completely different from the shell on the outside."

"So...you're saying there's more to Matt than just a pretty face?"

Matt glared at him, and Davis laughed. "Dude, I'm just joking. Lighten up already, would you?"

Tai managed to keep a straight face for the sake of his friendship with Matt, but he looked as if he was trying very hard not to laugh. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Ishida good looks aside."

_Typical Tai..._

Matt turned his glare on Tai and he crossed his arms over his chest, a slight scowl overtaking his handsome features. "You are not helping this conversation."

"Then why'd you ask me to come over here?"

"Because, oh never mind. Stay on topic."

"Yes sir, oh self proclaimed cool one!"

Matt sighed and shook his head, smiling faintly. The blond seemed exasperated, yet amused by his best friend's antics.

At that moment, Izzy happened to look up and he raised an eyebrow, looking rather amused by the former leader's words. "That's funny, Tai, your comments about Matt are surprising. I never pictured you to be such a er...deep thinker."

"Hey!" Tai pretended to look offended. "I can think just as deep as the next guy!"

"Right!" Sora laughed.

Matt waved a hand for silence and fixing his deep blue gaze on the current goggle-headed leader's face, he said, "The point we're trying to make is that you have to be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Don't make the mistake of judging your peers too early. I know from experience. They might end up surprising you later on."

"How is this going to help me solve my problem with T.K.?" Davis asked, frowning.

Matt smiled at him. "Simple. Put aside all the things about my brother that annoy you, apparently there's a lot of them, and try to focus on the things that you do like."

The younger boy wrinkled his forehead in concentration. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"Careful before you get a brain cramp!" Mimi joked.

"Ha ha, very funny," Davis shot back, yanking the nail file out of the rosy-haired Digidestined's hands and tossing it into the grass for revenge.

Mimi let out a squeal of outrage and she quickly jumped off the table top to search for it, her hands moving slowly over the grass to spot the all important grooming tool. "If I get grass stains on this skirt, you are so dead, Davis!" she shouted.

"Maybe not." Matt leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, ignoring Mimi and gazing thoughtfully at the sky. "Okay, Davis, what don't you like about my brother?"

"Well, for one thing, every time I do something, he always has to do it ten times better than me, and it drives me crazy."

"Alright, that's a start. What else?"

"He has this way of looking at me like I'm a toddler with a low I.Q. You know...like one who needs to be led by the hand in order to do anything right."

"Good. One more thing."

Davis hesitated, and Matt gave him an encouraging look. "I also don't like the way he acts like he knows everything about the Digital World just because he's been going there longer than I have. If I don't know something, he has a tendency to talk to me as if he's conversing with someone who speaks a foreign language and he has to talk slowly so I'll understand. And...I don't know for sure, but...do you think he thinks I'm jealous of him."

"Are you?"

Davis blinked at him. "Am I what?"

"Are you jealous of T.K?"

There was a long moment of silence, and Davis finally shook his head. "No."

His reply was awarded with a few raised eyebrows, and Davis grinned. "Really, I'm not." The young leader stared directly at Matt, honesty in his chestnut brown gaze. "All I ever wanted was a little bit of respect from him and to be treated like an equal. Is that so much to ask?"

Matt exchanged a look with Tai, and though Ken couldn't be sure, he thought the blond musician smiled in satisfaction. "Now we're getting somewhere. In answer to your question, Davis, no. You have every right to expect those things from T.K., and he from you."

"I guess." Davis looked uncertain.

"You've given me a few reasons why you're angry with my little brother, and I can understand where you're coming from. This time we're going to try something different. This time I want you to name three things you _do_ like about him."

Davis thought for a second and surprisingly he smiled. "Well...he's always willing to help me with my homework, and he offered to help me become a better basket ball player."

"Good. See? It's not so hard. Give me another one."

"Um...let's see...He's always there to help save my butt when we get into trouble in the Digital World, even if we have been fighting."

"That's a great reason. One more."

Davis adjusted the goggles on his forehead, a thoughtful look on his face. "There is one other thing..."

Matt nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"It's kind of stupid...but I accidentally overheard him having a conversation with Cody once, and he said that I was the bravest person he knew."

"Bravo, Davis!" Matt laughed as he and Tai started clapping. "You've just discovered why you really do like T.K.!"

Davis frowned at him in confusion. "I have?"

"Yes." Matt gave him a smile that was surprisingly warm. "You like him because even though it doesn't always seem like it, he respects you just as much as you respect him."

"Who said I respected him?" Davis appeared mildly insulted.

The blond shrugged, and he exchanged a smile with Tai in a way that only best friends could. "You didn't have to. Look, Davis, even the best of friends fight once in a while. It's only natural and healthy. No friendship is perfect."

"Yeah, if Matt and Tai didn't fight once in a while then I would seriously start to worry!" Sora laughed, putting an arm around the goggle-headed leader and giving him a friendly hug.

"Wait a second, back up!" Tai shouted, startling everyone. "T.K. said you were the bravest person he knew? What am I, chop liver? I thought I was the bravest person he knew! That's it! Matt, where's your brother? Davis might need a lesson on friendship etiquette, but T.K. could use one on tact!"

"Will you sit down and keep your big mouth shut?" Matt laughed. He pulled the former leader back down on the bench beside him, and Tai crossed his arms over his chest, looking sullen. In response to Tai's grumbling, Matt gave his best friend a quick hug and patted his back in a comforting gesture.

"Hey, Matt?"

The musician gave Davis a curious look, and Davis smiled softly at him. "I concede defeat. You definitely won the bet."

"Thank you. We finally agree on something."

"Bet? What bet? What are you guys talking about?" Tai asked, running a hand through his thick dark hair in confusion.

"Nothing important. Just a little wager on my apparent lack of social skills when it comes to the people I care about." The blond winked at Davis, who laughed at Tai's expression. His idol was looking more confused than ever.

"Oh...and, Davis? That was four things."

"What?"

"I told you to name three things you like about T.K." A slow smile slid across the blond's face. "You named four."

Davis went beet red in the face and lowered his eyes to the rough surface of the table.

"And another thing, I do take you seriously. You just haven't bothered to notice. By the way, T.K. really does like you. He told me so himself. The only reason he acts like that is because he thinks you aren't always so fond of him."

"Really?" Davis asked, giving the blond musician a hopeful look.

Matt nodded and reached out to ruffle the goggle-headed leader's hair. "See what I mean? It's like Tai said. You have to look beneath the surface."

"See, Matt? I'm useful for something!" Tai smirked, and Davis laughed.

Abruptly Davis went quiet and glanced at Matt with uncertainty. "Um, Matt...about all the things I said earlier. I didn't mean them."

"I know," the musician replied, his voice just as quiet.

"Matt?" Davis squirmed in his seat, but he met the blond's eyes without hesitation this time. "Thanks for teaching me all this."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "What do mean? I didn't teach you anything."

Davis stared at him, and Matt leaned over the table to whisper in his ear, "Have you forgotten that you're the one who received the Digi-Egg of Friendship? Everything I said you've known in your heart all along. You just needed someone to help you find it. And...I'm glad that someone was me."


	4. The Meaning of Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor will I ever own it.

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter Four: The Meaning of Friendship

Matt pulled back slightly and brushed several stray strands of silky, golden hair off his forehead. He looked rather proud of himself for bringing Davis around to his way of thinking.

"You're right. I'd forgotten about that." Davis's expression was rather sheepish. "I guess there's still a lot of things I have to learn."

"You're not the only one," Ken said quietly, hiding his deep blue eyes beneath a veil of long dark lashes. "It's a never ending process. I know that better than anyone. Even now, after all this time, I'm still learning new things about myself and about all of you. I don't know how you could have forgotten about the Crest of Friendship. It suits you better than you know. Look at what you've done for me. I wouldn't have become the person I am today if you hadn't been there to give me your help and support."

Davis nodded, and smiling, he said confidently, "I always believed in you."

"I know. That's what makes you special to me."

The two boys smiled at each other, and Ken felt his best friend slip an arm around his shoulders. Despite the fact that they had lived two very different lives, neither one felt it was a hindrance in their relationship. Instead, it had made their friendship stronger by giving them the chance to understand what it was like to walk in someone else's shoes and to break down the walls between them.

"Now if only T.K. could see you like this!" Ken teased. "He'd be changing his tune real quick!"

"Keep your genius opinions to yourself!" Davis laughed, pushing him off the bench.

Unfortunately for Davis, Ken managed to catch hold of his friend's sleeve and the current leader of the Digidestined went down with him.

"Dude, that hurt!" Davis groaned, sitting up and gingerly rubbing the back of his head. His large cloud of spiky, reddish brown hair did nothing to lesson the impact of a large rock, the size of his palm, from giving him a sudden headache. "That wasn't exactly what I had planned."

Ken laughed, and flicking the goggles on his friend's head, he teased, "You get what you give out! I hope you've learned your lesson!"

"Please, no more lessons!" Davis moaned, looking horrified. "My brain can't take it!"

"He's serious guys. Try to cram anymore information in there and it'll spontaneously combust!" Tai joked.

At this sudden declaration, Izzy snorted from behind his computer screen, which earned him a glare from Davis. Judging by the goggle-headed leader's expression, Ken couldn't help thinking that the computer expert was lucky his laptop did not end up in the grass with Mimi's nail file.

"Don't worry, Davis," Ken reassured, smiling sympathetically at the goggle-headed leader and helping him to his feet, "I'll always respect you."

"At least someone does!" Mimi muttered, her nose in the dirt. Clearly, she was not happy with Davis at all.

"Ken's got the right idea! Matt, why can't you be more like that?" Tai suddenly demanded, turning his gaze on the blond and leveling him with a dirty look.

"Uh, Matt...are you sure Cherrymon didn't scramble your brain or something?"

"Huh?"

Tai ignored his best friend and turned to Davis with a grin. "Just be glad that T.K. isn't a deluded crazy maniac with good hair and a lone wolf attitude who's out to murder his best friend."

"The tree made me do it."

Tai rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "If the tree told you to jump in the ocean and drown yourself, would you do that, too?"

"No." Matt glanced down at the table, hiding a smile. "Your face was in the ocean. I wanted to hurl in it, not take a swim!"

"You are so in for it later, Ishida!" Tai shot back, frowning at the blond musician. "Hey, wait a sec...did you just say my face was in the ocean? No, on second thought, never mind. I don't want to know."

"No, you probably don't. Let's just leave it at that."

"Agreed."

"It's a miracle! Izzy, quick! Go get a video camera! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. They've actually agreed on something!" Sora gasped, pretending to look shocked.

"Didn't they agree to disagree? At least, that was the case the last time I checked," was Izzy's response.

_For a genius, Izzy sure gets confused easily. At least, when in comes to matters outside of his computer screen._

"That doesn't mean you get out of apologizing, though," Tai interrupted, giving his best friend an expectant look.

Matt smiled innocently back at him, his sapphire eyes sparkling in the sunshine. "If I told you the tree made me say that, would you believe me?"

Tai smiled back just as innocently. "Not a chance."

"Oh alright. I'm sorry. There, you happy?"

"The old Ishida charm, it can soften even the hardest of hearts!" Tai laughed.

Matt put an arm around the former leader, and gazing curiously at his best friend, he said, "Even you?"

"Especially me," Tai grumbled.

Davis glanced at Ken, who shrugged, before turning back to Tai and Matt. "You guys are weird, you know that?"

"Yes, and I wouldn't have Matt any other way!"

"Now who's in for it later," the blond muttered. "Alright, Davis, I think this chat is over. You know what you have to do now, don't you?"

The younger boy flinched. "How come I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you say?"

Matt just shook his head, and reaching out he ruffled the goggle-headed leader's hair, an unmistakable gesture of affection. "Go find T.K. Tell him exactly what you told me-"

"Minus the insults!" Tai said cheerfully, interrupting the blond in mid-sentence.

"-and I bet you anything he will listen to what you have to say. Think Crest of Friendship, or Digi-Egg of Friendship, if you prefer."

Davis grinned with enthusiasm. "Now that, I can do! Oh...and, Matt? I guess Tai was right about you after all. You're pretty cool for someone who seems so moody all the time!"

Reaching out, he gave the blond musician a quick hug, which Matt returned without a moment of hesitation. "One more thing. If you tell anyone I hugged you, I'll swipe a pair of your boxers and hand them over to Jun. Her birthday's coming up soon, and I know she would love them!"

"You wouldn't!" The blond's face turned pink, and he gave the younger boy an evil look.

"Watch me!"

Davis leaped out of his seat, laughing, and ran for it as Matt came after him. He did not get very far, though. The two accidentally tripped over Mimi and ended up falling on top of her.

"Oops, sorry, Meems. I didn't see you there." Matt said, sounding apologetic. Both boys scrambled up and held out their hands for her to grab hold.

"That's it! If I don't start getting a little respect around here, I'm on the first plane back to New York!" Mimi cried, her face was turning as pink as her hair.

"Uh oh. Now you've done it. Mimi angry is not a pretty sight!" Davis whispered.

Matt gave the younger boy a gentle push towards the street and laughed. "Go on, get out of here. I don't want to see your face again until you've talked to T.K."

"Okay." Davis motioned for Ken to follow him, and Ken quickly moved to his best friend's side. When they reached the street, Davis turned back and yelled out, "I'm glad I got the powers of your crest. You're every bit as great as Tai, and that's saying something!"

"I'm glad you received them," Matt said softly in return.

Davis was already halfway down the street and didn't hear the blond, but Ken did, and he smiled before quickly following his friend.


	5. Simple As That

Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon.

Lessons in Friendship

Chapter 5: Simple As That

Matt Ishida stood in the shadow of a large oak tree, watching the rapidly disappearing forms of the two younger Digidestined. He smiled slightly, his arms crossing over his chest, and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky, his thoughts focused on his earlier discussion with Davis.

_Davis might not be the most sensible person in the world, but underneath all that hair and goggles is a deeper conscience then I thought_.

Not that it really surprised him. In his opinion, Davis had always been much more than what he appeared to be on the surface, a fact that he was sure the other Digidestined tended to forget, mostly without meaning to.

_Though he doesn't help the situation any by putting on the big ego act, even if he is only joking most of the time._

Shaking his head, Matt let out a soft laugh, and then he sighed, lifting his chin to gaze once more at the brilliant sun shining down on the soccer field. Its bright rays created a sparkle in his sapphire eyes, and it made his hair shine like spun gold, though he was completely unaware of this little fact.

At the sound of footsteps behind him, the blond's smile returned, but he did not turn around. "Hey, Tai."

"Do you think Davis finally got the message?" the former leader asked, his words drifting over Matt's shoulder. "He can be pretty thick-headed sometimes."

_Kind of like someone else I know_.

Matt smiled in amusement at his wayward thought and nodded his head in response to Tai's question. "I think he has. Davis might seem a little self-absorbed, but once you get past his ego, there's a good heart underneath."

The blond could almost see Tai bobbing his head in agreement. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've always known that, but for the others...sometimes it's easy to forget about a person's good qualities when they start to say negative things towards their peers."

"Especially when their peers are people who are supposed to be their friends."

_Like me._

Matt's forehead wrinkled into a thoughtful frown, and his sapphire eyes lost some of their earlier sparkle. He stared at the busy Odaiba street in front of him without really seeing it, unsure of whether or not he should continue speaking. He could not deny the fact that Davis's insults had hurt. Despite his calm demeanor on the outside, he was not invincible to hateful words and harsh remarks, especially when they came from people he cared about.

"Matt? I overheard some of the things Davis said to you," Tai suddenly said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. It was almost as if his best friend had read his mind. "He didn't mean them. I know Davis better than that. He tends to let his anger get the best of him, and then he ends up taking it out on the wrong people."

"I know," Matt replied, his voice soft. "I can understand why he acted the way he did."

_Didn't I once act the same way?_

Matt was well aware of the fact that he did not spend as much time with Davis as Tai did. Those two had always had more in common than he and Davis did. It was obvious that the younger boy had been upset over his fight with T.K., and his anger had made him say things he normally would not have said.

_I was just the one who happened to be there for him to take his anger out on._

"Matt?"

Matt blinked, startled out of his thoughts, and he turned around to gaze at his best friend. To his surprise, Tai's deep brown eyes were unusually dark and he was acting more serious than Matt had seen him act in a very long time. "Everything Davis said about me isn't true either. I'm not like that."

"I believe you," Matt said softly. He winced at his own words, but it wasn't because of what he had said, it was because of what he was _about_ to say. "There is still one question I want to ask."

"What is it?"

Tai's face filled with curiosity, and Matt almost looked away as his best friend's dark eyes continued to stare deeply into his own. The intense look on Tai's face made him feel suddenly nervous, an unable to stand it any longer, he quickly turned his sapphire eyes towards the ground, avoiding Tai's gaze, his hands shoving themselves deep into the pockets of his jeans. "Why _do_ you like me?" he murmured, feeling stupid.

Tai did not answer, and for a moment Matt thought maybe his friend had not heard him, but then the former leader smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Matt, there are so many things, I can't even begin to list them all. After everything we've been through together, how could I not want you by my side? Even after all of our fighting, you're still here. Our friendship is stronger than ever. Matt, I trust you with my life. You made me realize how important friendship really is. It's something I have to put my whole heart and soul into, otherwise it can slip away without me even realizing it's gone. You're the one who lends me a hand when I stumble. I always turn to you in times of trouble. Somehow, you always manage to say something that makes everything better."

Matt whirled around, and he stared at Tai in complete shock, at a loss for words. "Tai...wow...I never knew you felt so strongly about our friendship..."

He had to admit, he was stunned. In all the years that they had been friends, Matt had never imagined that Tai would say something like this to him. He had always known that the former leader cared about him, but not as much as this. "Thanks...That means a lot to me."

They both fell silent, and Matt turned to stare back at the street, unsure of what else he should say.

After several moments, Tai spoke somewhat hesitantly. "Hey, Matt?"

Matt glanced over his shoulder at the former leader, but Tai refused to meet his gaze. "Did you mean what you said before?"

The blond fiddled with the cuff of his long-sleeved black shirt and quickly looked away again. "About what?"

"You know...when you were talking to Davis."

Matt's mouth fell open in shock.

_Tai...uncertain? This is...new... _

Usually, Tai displayed nothing but confidence. He was always so sure of himself, and in Matt's opinion, self-consciousness was not normal Tai Kamiya behavior.

Reaching out, Matt pulled Tai against him and he hugged the former leader tightly, not feeling the least bit embarrassed about his actions, despite the fact that they were in public, standing on a soccer field, of all things. His arms went around his friend's shoulders in a tight embrace, and he felt Tai hug him back. "Of course I meant it," he murmured. "Even when we fought, I always cared about you. You're my best friend. You heard my silent screams for help when no one else could. T.K. was too young to understand at the time, and my parents...well, let's just say I didn't feel as if I could talk to them. Not like I do now. You're the one who made me realize how special I am. I'll always be in your dept."

"I was never going to give up on you," Tai whispered. "It doesn't matter how cold you appear to the rest of the world. I know what you're really like."

"I'm glad," Matt whispered back, his head resting on Tai's shoulder.

_More glad than you will ever know._

"Matt? Can I ask you a question now?"

He hesitated a moment before answering. "Sure."

"Are you happy?"

Matt lifted his head to stare at his best friend, and the smile on his face was brighter even than the sunshine streaming down on them. Tai was gazing calmly back, his eyes a warm amber colour from the sun, and Matt could tell the former leader was being serious.

_Oh, Tai, if you only knew how happy I really am. It's amazing what a difference a few kids wanting to be your friends can make. _

Matt continued to stare directly into Tai's eyes, his smile never wavering. "I'm more happy now than I've ever been in my whole life."

Tai stepped back and returned the smile with one of his own. "Good, because your happiness is important to me."

"I feel the same way about your happiness."

"Now if only Davis and T.K. could have as much luck as we did," Tai sighed, frowning at the busy street.

Matt nodded in agreement and put an arm around his best friend. "I don't think you have to worry about that. Those two will work things out. I'm sure of it."

_At least, I hope they do._

"If you say so."

"Hey...don't you have a soccer practice to be getting to?"

The look on Tai's face was priceless.

"I forgot! The team's going to kill me!"

Tai turned to look towards the centre of the soccer field where his teammates were standing with their arms crossed, looking very impatient. Each one appeared ready to drag him back onto the field with force.

Matt let out a laugh, and pushed the former leader towards the field, he said, "Go before they start to get on my case about it."

"Okay. You're still coming to my house after practice, right?"

"Definitely."

Tai nodded and raced back onto the field with a grin on his face. "Hey, Matt? Just so you know, I feel the same way about you!"

_Trust me, I know. It's the one thing in my life that I am sure about._

He waved to Tai, and letting out a soft sigh, he started back towards the picnic table, where his other friends were waiting for him.

_I wonder if Davis has managed to get through to T.K. yet. _

Unfortunately, he did not have much time to think about it, as Mimi and Izzy had started fighting. Currently, the rosy-haired Digidestined was berating Izzy for paying more attention to his computer than to Tai's practice, and shaking his head in amusement, Matt went to break up the fight.

_Good luck, Davis..._


	6. The Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter Six: The Fight

Davis reluctantly strolled down the street, his best friend by his side, the two of them heading back towards the elementary school, which they had recently just left. They were walking side by side in comfortable silence, and they had to dodge a group of little kids playing soccer.

Ken tilted his head to the side, watching him, and a small smile slipped across the former Emperor's face. "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

_Maybe for you_...

Davis rolled his eyes at the former Emperor, and he made a face, unwilling to agree so easily without a fight. Somehow, Ken had managed to convince him to talk to T.K. as soon as possible, and unfortunately that meant right now. When he had left school earlier, after a shouting match with the blond, T.K. had stalked away to his basketball practice in fury. The golden-haired Digidestined's face had been red with anger, and his eyes had been sparkling with outrage. There was no doubt that T.K. had been angry with him and probably still was. He was not exactly looking forward to confronting T.K. again, but if he didn't, Matt would be on his case quicker than you could say lone wolf.

_Why do I always let Ken talk me into these things!_

It was not that he didn't want to talk to T.K., he did. As much as he hated to admit it, he valued the blond's friendship.

"You _are_ planning to speak with T.K., aren't you? Matt was pretty insistent about it," Ken said, glancing anxiously at him, as if reading his mind. There was a frown on the raven-haired Digidestined's face, and he looked ready to start an argument at the first sign of protest.

Davis had to smile.

_Does he always know what I'm thinking? _

Possibly, that was the case. After all, they were DNA partners. The bond between them was strong. Ken seemed to be able to read his mind at the most unlikely times, which made Davis suspect that their heartbeats and partners were not the only thing they shared. Now, it appeared to include their thoughts as well. "Are you afraid that I'm going to back out?"

Ken did not answer. The former Emperor chose to stare down at the sidewalk instead, his raven hair gleaming in the sun. "No, I'm afraid that you're going to let your temper get the best of you again," he said quietly.

"Is that what you think of me!" Davis pretended to look offended. "I'll have you know that I can keep my temper in check when I want to!"

_At least, I hope I'll be able to._

Seeing the look on Ken's face, Davis crossed his arms over his chest and quickly sped up, anxious to get this over with. His raven-haired friend had to run to catch up to him.

"Well, you must not want to very often then," Ken said dryly. The former Emperor looked amused about something, but Davis had no clue as to what it might be.

"What do you mean by that?"

Ken's expression was neutral, but he looked as if he were trying not to laugh. "Have you ever considered taking an anger management course?"

"What?" Davis gave the former Emperor a dirty look, and coming to a stop on the sidewalk, he shouted, "I do _not_ need an anger management class! I just get a little carried away sometimes, that's all."

It wasn't like he purposely got angry. It just sort of happened whenever he was around T.K.

"Davis..." Ken crossed his arms and smiled slightly, shaking his head. "I'm just trying to point out the fact that you tend not to think first before you say something. There was no need to be so harsh with T.K."

"He was insulting me!" Davis said hotly, refusing to back down.

_Did Ken really think I was going to let him get away with that?_

Davis knew he was being childish, but he could not help it. Not when T.K. was involved. As much as he liked T.K., there were definitely occasions when the blond had been a thorn in his side, especially during those first few days after T.K. had left the mainland to move to Odaiba with his mother, where he had proceeded to attend the same school that Davis had been going to for years with Kari. The worst part about it was that T.K. knew exactly which buttons to push, to get him going.

In response to his outburst, Ken, not surprisingly, ran a hand through his hair and sighed. The former Emperor's face held an expression of deep disappointment. "How can you blame T.K. for being angry? He might have said some things he shouldn't have, but so did you. I'm sure he didn't mean any of it."

Davis made a face at his friend and frowned, his thoughts once again returning to the aforementioned blond. The fact that he had fought with T.K. was not even what was bothering him. It was the way T.K. had treated him earlier that had gotten under his skin. He would never admit it to Ken, but he hated arguing with T.K. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be friends.

_Or at least, I thought we were, but does T.K. feel the same way? _

Though he hated to admit it, one of his biggest fears was that someday he would find out that T.K. did not really like him after all. The blond had certainly never gone to any great effort to be his friend, always treating him like he was a child. Then again, Matt, T.K.'s own brother, had said that T.K. _did_ like him. Why would Matt say that if it wasn't true? He didn't have any reason to lie.

_Oh really? The way you treated him earlier was reason enough, wasn't it? _

Davis blushed at his own fleeting thought and quickly ducked his head, hoping Ken hadn't seen. Guilt was not a good feeling, and boy did he feel guilty. He shouldn't have been so hard on Matt. He hadn't _meant_ to be, but T.K. had gotten him so angry, he had not been able to stop himself from lashing out at someone. Luckily, Matt appeared to have forgiven him, despite his unusual behaviour.

_He shouldn't have, though. I don't deserve it._

"Davis, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Davis looked up in surprise, and he found Ken staring at him, clearly impatient over his current tendency to keep drifting off during their conversation. "Did you say something?"

The former Emperor let out a sigh, and he quickly shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "Never mind. But you have to remember, I was there and I heard some of the things you said to him. T.K. isn't the only one to blame. You were just as bad as he was."

**_Flashback_**

_Ken shoved his hands deep into his pockets, heading slowly down the street towards Davis's school. The goggle-headed leader had invited him to stay over for the night, and they had made plans to meet up at the school entrance. He took his time, scanning the street around him, and he smiled to himself. _

I wonder if I'll ever get use to the feeling of freedom.

_Ever since he and the other Digidestined had defeated MaloMyotismon, a weight seemed to have been lifted off of his shoulders. The darkness no longer haunted him. It was always there, a flicker at the edge of his mind, but he did not let it consume him anymore. Personally, he did not think it would ever really go away. He had been through too much to expect a totally clean slate, but with Davis and the others supporting him, he knew it would never hurt him again._

I'm free. Free and where I belong._  
_

_The sound of shouting suddenly startled Ken out of his thoughts, and he frowned, squinting ahead of him for the source of the yelling. _

Uh oh...that sounds like Davis and T.K. I wonder what they've done to anger each other this time.

_Ken sighed and shook his head. Recently, the two had been getting along quite well. Really well, in fact, ever since MaloMyotismon's defeat. He should have known it wasn't going to last. _

I guess I'd better go break it up before the fists start flying.

_His frown deepened, and he sped up his pace, both concerned and a little bit annoyed. _

How did I end up being the mediator for their rare, but fierce arguments?

_Since joining the Digidestined, Ken had come to know each of then very well. Both T.K., and Davis had become good friends to him, and he hated being stuck in the middle of their fights. Luckily, as stated before, they didn't fight all that often, it was a rare occurrence these days, but when they did, he was always the one left to pick up the pieces. Davis always expected him to be on his side, since they were best friends, but he did not want to end up hurting T.K. either. As a result, those two had a way of unintentionally making his life difficult._

_He caught sight of the school up ahead and he hurried over to the entrance, where Davis and T.K. stood glaring at each other. Neither one appeared to have noticed that they had attracted an audience, which didn't surprise him seeing as how it looked as if they only had angry eyes for each other. A crowd of students stood around them, as if expecting a flurry of fists at any moment. Some of the students looked worried, while others watched in anticipation, excited looks on their faces. Ken shook his head in disgust and he pushed his way towards the front of the crowd, anxious to find out what was going on. He found himself standing next to Davis, and giving both of his friends a stern look, he said, "What's going on here?"_

_Davis jumped, startled by his sudden presence, and turned towards him. There was a scowl on the goggle-headed leader's face, and he looked very angry. "Why don't you ask T.M., since he's the one who started it all!"_

_Ken felt his heart sink. This looked more serious than he had first thought. Ignoring Davis, he turned his violet eyes on T.K. "What's going on, T.K.? Why are you guys fighting?"_

_T.K.'s sky blue eyes travelled over the crowd before finally coming to rest on his face. "Not here," he said quietly. "Let's go to the computer room."_

_"Fine, we'll go to the computer room, but it isn't going to change anything!" Davis shot back._

_Ken grabbed the goggle-headed leader by the arm and he dragged him towards the front entrance to the school, motioning for T.K. to follow him. The crowd began to disperse, some looking relieved, others disappointed._

_They made it to the computer room in stony silence, with Davis glaring at T.K. the whole way. Once inside, Ken faced both of them and waited expectantly, curious to know which one of them would find the courage to speak first. To the right, T.K.'s handsome face was strained, and he looked upset._

_"You want to know what's going on? T.K.'s been acting like a real jerk, that's what!" Davis shouted, breaking the silence._

_"If you would be quiet for two seconds and listen to me, you'd realise what an idiot you're being!" T.K. snapped, his eyes flashing with anger._

_Ken stared at the blond in surprise. Those were some harsh words, especially coming from T.K., who did not usually speak so rudely of his friends. What had Davis done to make him so upset? Normally, T.K. was pretty laid back and he didn't usually let Davis get to him, so why was now any different than usual? _

I don't get it. Why is Davis accusing T.K. of insulting him?

_Davis clenched his hands into fists and glared at the blond, unwilling to back down. "See? I don't care what the others think of you, T.B.! You're not as saintly and perfect as you make yourself out to be!"_

_"I never said I was perfect," T.K replied, his voice very quiet. "Not once and you know it."_

_"Then stop acting like you think you're better than me!" Davis shouted in return, looking ready to explode with anger._

_T.K. suddenly let out a weary sigh and seated himself on a desk, his handsome face twisting into a look of despair. "I don't think I'm better than you," he murmured, running his fingers through his golden hair. T.K. had given up his Gilligan hat a while ago, much to Davis's disappointment. Now the goggle-headed leader couldn't make snide remarks about it, like he use to. T.K.'s partner Patamon was always making jokes about messing up his hair when they went to the Digital World to visit. Matt had nearly had a fit when T.K. mentioned that Patamon still liked to sit on his head. The musician had seemed very offended, as if T.K. had committed some sort of crime. Sometimes Matt could be very weird, especially when it came to the topic of hair.  
_

_"Right," Davis said sarcastically. "Saying so would ruin your image. It doesn't stop you from thinking it, though!"_

Now would probably be a good time to intervene...

_"Guys, this is getting us nowhere," Ken said loudly, trying to be heard over their shouts. "Will you please tell me why you're fighting?"_

_"I told you, ask T.O. He seems to think he has all the answers to everything," Davis shot back, giving the blond a sour look. "I'm sure he'll manage to turn this whole thing around and somehow make me look like I'm the bad guy. Come on, T.J., I want to hear this, or have you lost your touch?"_

_T.K. suddenly shot to his feet, making Ken gasp in surprise. The expression on the blond's face was one of fury. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this! You know what, Davis? Think what you want to about me. I really don't care what you say anymore."_

_He turned to leave the room, but Ken grabbed his arm, stopping him. "T.K., wait."_

_The blond shook his head and gave him a sad smile. "I'll see you later, Ken," he said softly, his eyes dark._

_Ken tried to protest, but T.K. gently pulled his arm away and left the room without another word._

Great...Now what am I going to do?

_Ken turned to look at Davis, who stared defiantly back at him, but despite his friend's angry expression, he did not fail to notice the way the goggle-headed leader kept gazing anxiously after his blond friend._

_"Come on, Davis, let's go."  
_

_"Huh? What are you talking about? Go where?" Davis asked, giving him a suspicious look._

_A sudden idea came to Ken, and though he wanted to smile, somehow he managed to keep his face expressionless. _

Somewhere where I can hopefully get you straightened out, that's where!

_Instead of answering, he gave his friend a mysterious smile and said, "You'll see."_

**_End Flashback_**

"Ken? Hello, earth to Ken. Wake up, dude," Davis shouted, frowning at his friend, who was staring up at the sky, his thoughts elsewhere.

_What in the Digiworld is he thinking about? _

Ken had always been a bit more reserved than the rest of the Digidestined, but this was strange, even for him.

Ken blinked at him, as if he had forgotten where he was. "Davis," he said seriously, "what were you and T.K. fighting about?"

Davis froze, his heart filling with sudden dread. He did _not_ like where this conversation was going, not one bit.

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. Now that he actually thought about it, it really had been a stupid argument.

The former Emperor continued to stare at him. "I mean it, Davis. What were you and T.K. fighting about?"


	7. Empty

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter 7: Empty

For a moment, Davis merely gaped at Ken, unsure of whether or not to answer. The former Emperor had his arms crossed and his expression was neutral.

"Well?"

Davis quickly looked at the ground, avoiding Ken's eyes. There was no way to tell what his best friend might be thinking, and frankly he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know anyway.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

In fact, the more he thought about it, the more hurt he felt.

_I know I told Ken it was stupid, but to me it wasn't. I can't believe T.K. was such a jerk. I always thought he was better than that, even towards me._

Ken suddenly took him by the arm, leading him to a bench at a nearby park. They sat down, and Davis stared miserably at the street without really seeing it. It had been a long time since he had felt this bad. Even when he and T.K. had first met, he had never felt this bad, despite the fact that they hadn't gotten along very well at first.

"Davis, I'm your best friend," Ken said softly. "You know you can tell me anything. What did T.K. say to make you so upset?"

Davis sighed and gazed at his feet. Apparently, there was no getting out of telling the former Emperor, so he figured he might as well get it over with. "It wasn't what he said that made me so angry. It was what he _didn't_ say."

"What do you mean by that?" Ken asked, frowning at him in confusion.

"I...happened to overhear a conversation at lunch time," he began, somewhat reluctantly. "T.K. was sitting with his teammates. They were going over their game plan for their practice this afternoon."

Ken nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I don't see what's so bad about that."

"Nothing." Davis hesitated, and letting out a deep sigh he slumped against the back of the bench in defeat. "It's what I heard after that that made me so angry. I was planning on asking T.K. if he minded coming over to my house tomorrow. We have a test coming up, and I need someone to help me study."

Ken tried to hide a smile, and Davis rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ken, I can put my pride aside long enough to ask for help, especially when I know I desperately need it!"

"I know." Ken patted his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "So, what _did_ happen after that?"

"Disaster struck, that's what," Davis replied, his voice hard. Reluctantly he began to speak...

**_Flashback_**

_Davis quickly hurried down the hallway, his usual confidence radiating from him like a beacon lighting up the school corridors, and stretching his neck he proceeded to squint over the mass of students, searching in vain for a particular familiar face. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of bright blond hair, only there was not a single golden head in sight. Unfortunately._

Figures, T.K.'s never around when I need him!

_Davis scowled at the thought, but immediately his face brightened when he caught of fellow Digidestined student Cody Hida, who was standing at his locker. The younger boy was trying to shove several text books inside, shaking his head and muttering to himself._

_"Dude! Cody!" Davis waved a hand to get his friend's attention and quickly started towards the younger boy, hoping Cody had heard him over the noise of the other students. Somehow, he managed to successfully detach himself from the crowd, which was streaming towards the lunch room, and he stepped up beside his fellow Digidestined, a smile on his face.  
_

_Startled, Cody glanced up and gave him a quick smile in return, though it was slightly subdued. He seemed a little distracted and he kept frowning at his locker, as if it had done him some sort of injustice.  
_

_"Did you get tons of homework, too?" Davis asked, leaning against the locker next to the younger boy's and making a face. It was no secret that he hated homework. Everybody in the school knew it, including the teachers.  
_

Actually, hate is too soft a word. I despise homework. In fact, I'd rather face MaloMyotismon again than do math problems!

_"Yeah...and I have kendo practice today. I don't know when I'm going to have time to do any homework."_

_Davis grinned at Cody's frustration and patted him on the back. "Cheer up, dude. You could always just _not_ do it. That's what I usually do. If you ask me, homework should be optional!"_

_"That's probably why teachers would never ask you," Cody muttered. "Er... thanks, Davis, but I'm sure I'll find the time to do it eventually."_

_Davis shrugged. "Suit yourself. Have you seen T.S. by any chance?"_

_Cody frowned at him, and Davis took note of the fact that he then proceeded to shut his locker door a little harder than was necessary. "I wish you wouldn't do that," the younger boy mumbled._

_"Do what?"  
_

_"Call T.K. names," Cody replied, giving him a disapproving look. "It's not very nice."_

_Davis let out a snort, his arms crossing over his chest in defiance. "Come on, I'm only kidding. T.J.'s a big boy. I'm sure he can handle it. Besides, you know I've got his back." _

What's the deal with him? It's not like T.K. never jokes around at my expense. I don't see what the problem is. Cody can be way too serious sometimes. He needs to lighten up a little, like me!

_"Look, do you know where he is, or not? I have this test coming up and Mr. Yakuta says if I don't get a passing grade on it, I'm going to fail math this year. I need his help."_

_"The last time I saw him, he was headed towards the lunchroom with the basketball team," Cody said with a resigned sigh._

_At this sudden tidbit of news, Davis wrinkled his nose, not even bothering to hide his disgust. In his opinion, the members of the basketball team were nothing but a bunch of stuck up snobs with swelled heads and even bigger egos. And that was putting it nicely.  
_

I don't know why T.K. puts up with them. If I were T.K., I'd dump the whole lot of them and get a new team!

_In his opinion, the guys on his soccer team were a much nicer crowd. They never went around thinking they were better than everyone else, just because they excelled in sports, unlike the guys Davis had dubbed the 'basket ball losers.' He had no use for them, and they, in turn, had no use for him. He knew most of them hated his guts, and that was just fine with him. He wasn't too fond of them either. They weren't the kind of people who made very good friends, and if they couldn't see what friendship was all about, then he didn't want anything to do with them. Unfortunately, though, since T.K. was on the team, he still had to put up with them occasionally. How many times had he tried to convince T.K. what a bunch of losers they were, but the blond refused to listen. Eventually, seeing as how his words always ended up upsetting T.K., he had given up and kept his opinions to himself._

Man, this stinks. I get the fact that T.K.'s the kind of person who always tries to see the good in everyone, I'm that way myself, but you can't blind yourself to the bad things either without getting hurt. You gotta find the middle ground, especially when the people who are important to you are the ones who might end up getting hurt. How hard is that to understand? I don't get it..._  
_

_Davis frowned, trying and failing not to let his somewhat depressing thoughts distract him, and entering the lunchroom, he was greeted by fellow soccer teammate, Makio Takayama ._

_"Hey, Davis," the red head called out cheerfully, giving him a bright smile, his green eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lights._

_"Hey, Makio, what's up?"_

_"Actually, I have a message from Yolei." He grinned and nodded towards the table where Yolei was seated across from Kari, glaring in his direction. "She says you're supposed to get your butt over there so she can yell at you for ruining her new skirt with mud this morning. Something about a soccer ball."_

_Davis winced and glanced anxiously at Yolei. Everyone always said he had a temper, but Yolei could match him shout for shout. She also did not hesitate to get physical if things did not go her way._

_"Tell her I'm coming, but I have to talk to T.K. first."_

_Makio's face fell, and he glanced towards the table where T.K. was seated with the basketball team. "I would wait to talk to T.K. if I were you," he said quietly, refusing to make eye contact. The noise in the lunchroom nearly drowned out his voice, and Davis had to strain his ears just to hear the other boy. "Domu and the others have been in a nasty mood ever since they lost their last game. They've been even more unbearable ever since. I'd steer clear of them for a while if I were you. They've been looking for someone to take their anger out on."_

_Domu Kawaguchi was co-captain of the basket ball team, second only to T.K., who was captain. He was also one of Davis's least favorite people. Domu looked harmless enough, with grey eyes, sandy hair, and freckles, but Davis knew better. Despite his appearance, Domu was anything but harmless. His steel grey eyes spoke of a thirst for power and control, and Davis had a sneaking suspicion that the freckled basketball player was cooking up some sort of evil plan to replace T.K. as captain, by putting himself in that position, of course. At school, Domu followed T.K. around like a shadow, his calculating gaze glued to the blond's back. The surprising part was that T.K. didn't even seem to notice. _

_Which was why Davis had come to the conclusion that sometimes his blond friend could be a little bit on the dense side. _

Even when Ken was the Emperor, I could still sense the good in him, but Domu...he doesn't care about anyone but himself. Why can't T.K. see it?

_He couldn't understand. Out of the two of them, T.K. was supposed be the 'smart' one, so why was he the one who always ended up routing out the truth? Why was he the one who always did the rescuing? Not that he minded. It was in his nature to do so, and this time was no exception.  
_

_"Well, if T.K. isn't going to watch his own back, I guess I'll have to do it for him," Davis muttered to himself, clenching his fists in determination. There was no way he was going to let Domu do anything to hurt one of his friends. That was never going to happen. Not on his watch, that was for sure._

_"Uh...Davis? Did you hear me?"  
_

_"I'm not afraid of them," Davis replied, waving off Makio's concern._

_"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Makio sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "I've always liked T.K. He deserves so much better than those guys."_

_Davis frowned. "You're right, he does, and that's why he's got me. I better go talk to him before those losers take up all his time."_

_"Okay, see you later." Makio went to join the rest of the soccer team, and Davis headed towards T.K._

_As he got closer, he could hear the group talking about basketball. Suddenly he heard his own name mentioned, and he froze, his ears straining to hear what they were saying.  
_

_"I still can't believe you hang out with that guy." Domu snorted, rolling his eyes and smirking at T.K. "He's such a loser."_

_"No kidding," another team member named Riku laughed, elbowing Domu in the ribs. "He's always so loud and annoying in class. Seriously, T.K., get rid of him while you still can, otherwise he'll never go away."_

_In response to Riku's words, T.K. lowered his blue eyes to the table and didn't say a thing. His merely sat there, his face expressionless and his blue eyes completely void of emotion.  
_

I...can't believe it. Those guys are trashing me, and T.K.'s not even lifting a finger to defend me...

_The hurt and anger that suddenly welled up inside of him was so intense, it left him breathless, and unable to move, he stood there frozen in horror, the shock he felt at T.K.'s silence no doubt evident on his face.  
_

_"You're too good for Davis. It's not like he's even really your friend anyway. All he does is make fun of you," Domu continued, patting the blond's shoulder, his face a mask of sympathy. It was so obviously fake, Davis was shocked that T.K. was able to endure it without punching the other boy in the face. That's what he would have done if Domu had been insulting T.K. in front of him, but apparently T.K. didn't feel the same way because instead of reacting , the blond continued to remain silent, his face void of expression._

Say something! Anything!

_Apparently, T.K. wasn't telepathically inclined because his lips remained closed._

_"I could tell him for you, if you want," Domu said, a dark glint in his eyes. _

_Again, T.K. remained silent._

_Unable to stand it anymore, Davis slowly began to back away from the table, his throat constricting and his heart beating frantically in his chest. T.K. had not seen him yet, and he did not intend to let the blond see him now. Not while he was in his current state. Instead, Davis did the only thing he could think of, the one thing he had never, ever done before in his life. Him, a child of courage, the leader of the Digidestined._

_He turned and he ran from the room, Domu's horrible laughter echoing in his ears, following him long after he had left the cafeteria. And T.K.'s blank face, burned into his soul, haunting him on his streak through the corridors, a dark shadow he most definitely could have done without.  
_

**_End Flashback_**


	8. Fine Lines

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Lessons in Friendship

Chapter 8: Fine Lines

"Do you see now why I'm so upset?" Davis asked quietly, staring at his hands. "The whole time Domu and the others were making fun of me, T.K. just sat there and did nothing! He didn't even make an attempt to defend me. It was like he was agreeing with them. He could have said something, anything, but he didn't. Instead, he acted like were right."

Ken stared at him for a long moment, his dark eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "I don't believe it."

At these words, Davis's mouth fell open.

_Has Ken totally lost his mind? Did he even listen at all?_

"Excuse me? Haven't you heard a single word I've said? T.K. was acting like...like I really am worthless. He was agreeing with Domu!"

Ken smiled slightly, and much to Davis's annoyance, the former Emperor looked suddenly amused. "How do you know he was agreeing with Domu if he didn't even say anything?"

"He didn't have to say anything! You could just tell!"

Davis clenched his teeth together in frustration, refusing to look at his best friend.

_Why does Ken always have to make_ _everything so difficult?_

"Listen, Ken...T.K. made it look like he was doing me a favour by being my friend. Domu and his stupid teammates didn't hesitate to point that out. From the way they were acting, you'd think I wasn't even good enough to scrape the gum off T.B's shoes!"

Ken put a comforting arm around him, and Davis fell silent, his determination to fight becoming less pronounced than what it had been when he'd been dragged over to the soccer field to have a chat with Matt. "I heard what you said, Davis, but it doesn't make any sense. You and I both know T.K. is not the type of person who would let someone bad mouth his friends."

"Well, then I guess T.K. doesn't consider me a friend anymore," Davis mumbled. He knew it was partly his own fault. He could have been a bit nicer to the blond when they'd first met, but in his opinion that was still no excuse for T.K. to have treated him like that.

"You don't believe that any more than I do," Ken said softly. His violet eyes were filled with sympathy, and Davis glanced away, unable to look at him. "There has to be a reason why T.K. would act like that."

"Nothing can excuse what he did," Davis muttered. "I know sometimes that other people think I'm a jerk, but I would never stand by and let people bad mouth my friends!"

"Listen, Davis, I know it looks bad, but I think you should give T.K. the benefit of the doubt."

In response to Ken's question, Davis shook his head and did not reply.

_How am I supposed to face T.K. after that?_

"This has really upset you, hasn't it?" Ken's said quietly, his expression becoming suddenly serious. Davis could not help but smile at the worry in his friend's eyes.

"Even though we fight a lot, I thought I could trust him..."

_I still believed he cared, even when he would tease me..._

Davis felt his throat close up, and staring at his hands again, he mumbled, "How could I have been so wrong?"

Ken gazed thoughtfully at the street for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips. "Davis...T.K. and Domu obviously spend quite a bit of time together, since they're both on the basketball team. Are they very good friends?"

Davis frowned, giving his raven-haired friend a suspicious look. Ken was up to something. He never asked questions like that unless he was trying to make you aware of something.

_What is it he's trying to tell me this time?_

"No, I don't think so," he said reluctantly. " I know they talk at lunch, but they don't hang out much outside of school."

"Has T.K. ever once listened to anything Domu had to say before?"

Davis gave his friend a look, and Ken smiled innocently at him in return. "Not that I know of. Why?"

Ken sat back and crossed his arms in satisfaction. "If T.K. has never listened to Domu before, why would he start now?"

"But...then why didn't T.K. say anything to defend me?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion. "He could of said something."

The former Emperor shook his head again, a troubled look on his pale face. "I don't know, Davis. If you really want to find out, then there's only one thing you can do."

_Oh no. Why did I let Matt talk me into this!_

"What might that be?"

Truth was, he knew very well what Ken was talking about, but that was no reason to try not to stall the inevitable.

"Talk to T.K. It's the only way you'll know for sure."

Davis sighed in defeat. "Alright, but don't blame me if another shouting match breaks out."

"Davis?"

"What?" He turned to look at Ken in confusion.

Ken smiled softly, and leaning close to whisper in his ear, the raven-haired Digidestined murmured, "It's okay to be upset once in a while. Running isn't a sign of weakness. The heart can only take so much, even one as strong as yours. Sometimes, walking away from it all and giving yourself some time to think is the right decision, even if you don't think it is at the time."

Davis felt his cheeks turn bright red in response, and he quickly covered his face with his hands, trying unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment.

_H-how did he know? I never told him that part!  
_

Ken tried to pull his hands away to look at him, but Davis kept them tight against his face. His skin felt like it was on fire, something he most definitely found uncomfortable. "How did you know?"

It came out as a faint whisper, and Davis flinched at the meekness in his voice.

"I'm your best friend," Ken said simply. "I always know."

Davis hesitated before finally lifting his head, a pleading look on his face. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" This time his voice cracked, and he quickly covered his face again.

To his embarrassment, Ken started to laugh. "Not if you don't want me to."

_Of course, I should have known. Ken would never betray my secrets._

Davis slowly looked up again, and somehow he managed a weak smile."So much for the Digiegg of Courage," he sighed. "I ran away, Ken. What does that say about me? Tai never would have run away."

Ken took hold of his arms so Davis had no choice but to look directly at him. "Davis, even Tai had problems when it came to summoning up the courage to do something that he didn't want to do, or was afraid to do. Remember when Sora was captured by Datamon? Tai wouldn't go through the firewall. It doesn't matter how courageous a person you are. You're still going to have doubts every once in a while. It's part of being human. Tai was able to look inside himself and find the strength to face his fears, but it took some deep soul searching. Running away from T.K. was not a cowardly move, it was a natural reaction."

"But being unable to confront him is," Davis said quietly.

"Then you know what you have to do. If you want to find your courage again, talking to T.K. is the best way. The only way to overcome your fears is to confront them."

"I knew there was a lesson in all of this!" Davis accused, glaring at his friend.

"Hey, I had to do it this way, otherwise you tend to ignore good advice!" the former Emperor teased.

Davis snorted and stood up. "Come on, let's get to the school. If I have to do this, then I might as well get it over with as soon as possible."

The two boys headed towards the school where they spotted Yolei, Kari, and Cody sitting under a large tree near the front entrance. Davis headed towards them, but before he could reach the group, he spotted something that made his steps falter. Striding down the front steps of the school entrance was T.K. He was dressed in his jeans, and his hair was freshly washed. It looked like basketball practice was over.

The moment of truth had finally come.

_Well, here goes nothing._

Davis made to move towards T.K., but for some reason his feet refused to cooperate with him. For some reason they appeared to be rooted to the ground, as if he'd stepped on a giant wad of gum. It was then that he realized despite Ken's words, he felt more nervous than he had in a long time.

_Have courage. Don't back down. That's not you and you know it.  
_

"Well, Davis? What are you waiting for?" Ken's whispered softly in his ear.

Davis took a deep breath, and steeling himself for what was to come, he started towards the blond, certain that whatever happened he wouldn't run again.


	9. What Matters Most

Disclaimer: I do not own this wonderful franchise. That is it.

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter 9: What Matters Most

Davis watched silently as T.K. strolled towards Kari and the others with his head down and his eyes focused on the pavement. With every step, the sun glinted off the blond's golden head, making him plainly visible, even from a distance.

_I can do this, I know I can. I have too..._

Kari and the rest of the Digidestined waved to him, but luckily T.K. hadn't spotted him yet. The golden-haired Digidestined was too busy staring glumly at his feet, making Davis feel somewhat guilty, since he knew it was probably his fault.

_Though why he should care doesn't make any sense to me, especially after the way he acted at lunch today_..._Well, it's now or never I guess._

Davis took a deep breath to calm himself, and he slowly continued towards T.K. and the rest of his friends with Ken on his heels, his heart pounding anxiously in his chest.

_What if T.K. doesn't even want to talk to me? I can't blame him if he doesn't want to...  
_

"Davis!" Yolei suddenly shouted, making the goggle-headed leader wince.

_ Great, the last thing I need is an argument with Yolei. Maybe I can get Ken_ _to distract her for me while I talk to T.K._

There was no turning back now. The group had spotted him, and T.K.'s sparkling blue eyes were fixed upon his face. It was hard to determine exactly what the blond was thinking, but his gaze appeared to be uneasy.

"Look what you did to my skirt!" Yolei cried, pointing to the muddy stain on her clothing and glaring fiercely at him for added effect.

Davis made a face at his female friend, and crossing his arms over his chest, he snorted, "It's not my fault you were in the way!"

Yolei looked ready to shout a nasty retort, but Kari put a hand on the lavender-haired Digidestined's arm, preventing another angry outburst. Not wanting to upset Kari, instead Yolei fell into a sullen silence and continued to glare at him, her eyes narrowing into angry slits.

Davis, in turn, promptly began to ignore the lavender-haired Digidestined, and instead of rising to her bait he turned his attention to T.K., a frown on his normally cheerful face. T.K. had seated himself next to Kari and the blond was staring back at him silently, as if waiting for him to be the first to speak.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Davis asked quietly, staring directly into the blond's eyes.

_I'm tired of beating around the bush._ _I'm not going to give him time to make any more excuses. I want the truth, and the sooner, the better!_

T.K.'s stared at him, and he flinched at the golden-haired Digidestined's sad blue gaze, which was studying him intently. Davis was surprised to find that T.K. looked genuinely upset, his long golden lashes glittering in the sunshine and his sapphire eyes sparkling with some kind of emotion the goggle-headed leader couldn't immediately recognize. "I did," T.K. murmured, turning his face away.

Davis felt his mouth fell open in shock, and for a moment all he could do was stare at the blond in utter disbelief.

_Lying jerk! I can't believe him! He knows very_ _well I heard every word, or lack of words, he said! I only shouted about it for fifteen minutes after the final bell rang! _

He was so hurt, he couldn't even look at T.K. Instead, he turned to walk away, but Ken grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back into the circle, preventing him from making his escape.

_I can't believe this!  
_

When it became apparent that he wasn't going to get out of speaking to T.K., his hurt turned to anger instead. "So, now you're a liar too, on top of everything else!"

"Davis-"

Davis clenched his hands into fists, and he glared at the blond, his dark eyes blazing. "I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did!"

T.K. stood up to face him, which made Davis even more angry. The blond happened to be several inches taller than him, and it was a constant annoyance. Whenever they faced each other, he was the one who had to look up to T.K., never the other way around, and if there was one thing he hated, it was being looked down upon. T.K. had a tendency to play upon that particular pet peeve of his, sometimes without even knowing, and it never failed to make him mad, though it wasn't technically T.K.'s fault. He knew the golden-haired Digidestined didn't do it on purpose, but because of the unfortunate height difference between them, it could sometimes create the wrong impression, without T.K. even being consciously aware of it.

"I did," T.K. said, more firmly this time.

Davis struggled to find a rude reply, but before he could open his mouth, Kari gave him a pleading look and said softly,"Davis, please let him explain. It's important."

"Why should I? Nothing he has to say is worth listening to!"

"Ugh, boys," Yolei muttered. "Utterly hopeless!"

Kari turned her face away, hiding a smile, and Davis gave his female friend a dirty look, feeling slightly annoyed by her attitude.

_This is not a time for making jokes! For once in my life I'm trying to be serious, and still no one will take me seriously!_

"Please, Davis?" T.K. asked quietly. "I'm only asking for a few minutes."

Davis glared at his golden-haired friend, but T.K. didn't elaborate. Instead, the golden-haired Digidestined merely waited patiently for him to respond, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sorrow. Finally, Davis sighed and reluctantly nodded, though he felt like kicking himself for agreeing to T.K.'s request. "Fine, a few minutes, but nothing you can say is going to make me change my mind."

_Why did I just agree to listen to him? I'm such a softy, it's pathetic. Well, maybe if he wouldn't look at me like that._ _It's enough to get anybody blabbing. I guess I should just be grateful_ _I didn't lay my whole heart out on the table for him to stomp on!_

"Thank you," T.K. said, and quietly began to explain...

_**Flashback**_

_"I could tell him for you, if you want."_

_T.K. froze at Domu's words, and he stared down at the table in shock, unable to even lift his head to stare at the boy who had spoken such terrible words to him. He was so horrified by the garbage he had just heard, he couldn't seem to form a single coherent thought, let alone a decent sentence in response to the blatant attack on Davis. A surge of disgust filled him, but he was careful not to let the expression show on his face. _

_At least, not yet._

_He just couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always known that Domu and the others weren't too fond of Davis, but they had never openly made fun of the goggle-headed leader in front of him before, though it made him sick to his stomach to think about what they might have been saying about Davis behind his back. He had never thought about it much before, but now that Domu had shown his true colours, he had no choice but to accept the situation as it was, regardless of how much he wished he could be wrong.  
_

If they're not afraid to say stuff like this to me, then...what do they say to Davis when I'm not around?

_The thought sickened him so much he quickly pushed it aside for the moment, doing his best to focus on the problem at hand._

Why all of a sudden have they decided to make fun of Davis in my presence? I don't get it...What exactly is Domu up to?

_T.K. had never fully trusted Domu since joining the basketball team. There was just something about the other boy that made him uneasy. To top it off, Domu was a terrible team player, which his good skills in basketball failed to make up for. Unfortunately, though, Domu was already co-captain when T.K. had been named captain, which had happened just after their old captain had moved off to high school. There was nothing he could do about Domu's position short of kicking the other boy off the team, and that had never been his style. There were better ways to deal with your problems. _

At least, that's what I've always told myself, but with Domu I'm not so sure..._  
_

_Ever since the day he had moved to Odaiba, he had had the sneaking suspicion that Domu resented him. T.K. was sure it was because he had taken the position Domu would have obtained if he had not moved to the island, though he had no proof to back up his claim._

If it wasn't for me moving to Odaiba, he would have been captain for sure..._  
_

_T.K. looked up, glaring at his co-captain, and he found Domu staring over his shoulder at something. There was a wicked smile on the other boy's face, and T.K. didn't like it one little bit._

_Giving Domu a suspicious look, he said, "What are you looking at?"_

_Domu's face immediately went blank, and he shrugged his shoulders, looking much too innocent for T.K.'s liking. "Nothing."_

_T.K. didn't believe him for a second. He turned to look in his seat, hoping to spot a glimpse of whatever Domu had been staring at, but there was nothing to see. All around them, students were chattering loudly, but that was it. Then he noticed Kari and Yolei. The two girls were staring at the lunchroom doors with their mouths hanging open and a look of horror in their eyes. _

_T.K.'s frown deepened. _

What in the Digiworld are they looking at?

_Before he could even try to come up with an explanation for the strange bahviour of his female friends, Domu's voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Do you want me to go tell Davis to get lost? I can do it right now. The sooner he's away from you, the better."_

_"No!" T.K. snapped, his anger finally exploding. _

How dare he talk about one of my friends like that, especially right in front of me! He has no right to say those things about Davis!

_T.K. was so angry, he had to clamp his hands together to keep himself from punching Domu in the face. His own reaction surprised him. Normally he was pretty laid back. Violence had never been his way of dealing with things._

_"Why not?" Domu asked, staring at him in confusion. "Hey, if you want to do it later that's fine with me, too. We don't need that loser ruining our lunch break."_

_"No," T.K. said quietly. "I don't want you to do it later either. In fact, I never want you to do it!"_

_Two of his other teammates, Naoko and Eisaku, exchanged uneasy looks. Naoko's dark blue eyes appeared worried, and Eisaku stared at Domu with an anxious expression._

_Domu's, for his part, looked completely shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The sandy-haired boy didn't even seem to notice the expressions of the other two sitting across from him, which didn't surprise T.K. in the slightest considering how completely self-centered Domu was. "You don't really like Davis, do you? I mean, seriously, he's an idiot! Having someone like that around you is going to ruin your image."_

_"Do you honestly think I care about things like that?" T.K. shouted, glaring at his co-captain. "If you do, then I think maybe we had better keep our socializing strictly to basketball."_

_"What exactly are you trying to say?" Domu demanded, narrowing his eyes in anger.  
_

_"I'm saying, I don't want to hang out with someone who doesn't respect my friends."  
_

_Domu quickly plastered an innocent expression on his face, and smiling in return, he said, "Look, T.K., I'm only trying to help you by stopping you from doing something stupid. You could do much better if you would stick with us and forget those losers you call friends, especially Davis. I know you like helping people and all, but that doesn't mean you have to take every piece of rift raft you find under your wing."_

_T.K. was so outraged over Domu's words, he couldn't even speak. The look on his face must have been unsettling because Riku glanced nervously at him and nudged Domu's arm, an anxious look on his face. "I think you'd better give it a rest," he mumbled in his co-captain's ear._

_In response to Riku's warning, Domu pushed the other boy away, ignoring him completely. Instead, he turned back to T.K., who refused to back down. "You have to admit, what I said is true."_

_"Will you please stop?" T.K. shouted, shooting to his feet and glaring fiercely at Domu. "If you think I'm going to sit here and listen to you bad mouth Davis, forget it!" _

_On the outside, his voice, though filled with anger, was relatively calm, but on the inside he was seething with anger. _

_Domu and the others are supposed to be my teammates! How can they just sit here and talk about my friends as if they're nothing but a load of excess baggage!_

_"I don't believe it, you really do like Davis!" Domu stuttered, gaping at him in utter disbelief._

_T.K. stared back at the other boy, resisting a rather tempting urge to roll his eyes._

How can anyone be so self-absorbed? Yolei's always saying Davis is, but he's got nothing on Domu!

_"Domu, maybe we should change the subject," Naoko mumbled._

_"Of course I like Davis," T.K. interrupted, daring the other boy to contradict him. "Would I have stuck by his side this long if I didn't?"_

_Domu snorted loudly in response, a smirk on his young face. "T.K., don't be stupid. Davis is nothing but a leech who's trying to feed off your popularity."_

_"Excuse me? Being a basketball player doesn't make you popular. If I recall, Davis has tons of friends, and last time I checked, he wasn't on the basketball team. Lots of people like him, including me, and nothing you say is going to make me change my mind about him."_

_"You've got to be kidding me! The other kids in this school...liking Davis? If that's the case then they're all losers, too. They're not like us, T.K. Unlike them, we actually have good taste in friends. Besides, I bet all those other kids don't even really like him. Most of them probably only put up with him because he's on the soccer team. I bet, on the inside, they all think he's an annoying losing, just like I do."_

_"That's not true!"_

_"Come on T.K., you know you agree with me. Just admit it already. I admire your act, but enough is enough. You can be straight with me. We 're all friends here. There's no need for lies."  
_

_"I'm not like you!" _

Of all the things to say!_  
_

_T.K. had never felt so insulted in his life._

I can't listen to this anymore. I just...I can't.

_And he wasn't going to. Davis deserved better than that._

_"You really don't knew me that well at all, do you, Domu."_

_"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"You and I are very different. You'll do anything to be popular, and to you, basket ball is everything. You'll do whatever it takes to get to the top no matter how many people you have to step on along the way. I'm not like that. To me, my friends are the most important thing, not basketball and not the need to be popular, or to fit in with everyone else. If sticking up for my friends meant giving up basketball, I would do it in a second! That's the difference between you and me, and...that's why you and I can't ever be friends until you learn to respect the people I care about."_

_"What is wrong with you? Seriously, what does Davis have that I don't have?" Domu snapped, climbing slowly to his feet and glaring daggers at him._

_"Huh, let me think about that one for a minute. If I was in trouble, Davis would move heaven and earth to help me," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "You, on the other hand, would leave me to my fate and focus on saving yourself. Davis puts his friends first. You put yourself first. That's the difference between you and Davis! And that's why you could never even begin to compare yourself to him!" _

I know Davis and I don't always get along, but that doesn't change the fact that we're still friends. I know deep down he cares about me and I'm not going to let Domu tell me any different!

_"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Domu smirked, rolling his eyes.  
_

_T.K. stood up straight and staring defiantly at the other boy, he said without hesitation, "With all of my heart."_

_Domu's mouth fell open. "Wait a minute...you're saying you'd rather be friends with Davis than me?"_

Not exactly a genius, is he. Took him long enough to get the hint._  
_

_T.K. slowly backed away from the table, and staring directly into Domu's eyes he gave the other boy a regretful smile. "When you put it that way, there's no competition. Ever since the very first day I met Davis on the soccer field, I knew. There was just something about him that told me he would be important in my life. If you think I'm going to let you ruin that, forget it, Domu. Popularity means nothing to mean, and let's face it, that's the only reason you even wanted to hang around me in the first place. You weren't describing Davis earlier, you were describing yourself."_

I don't even know why I bother. No matter how much I try to explain it, Domu will never understand_. _Davis is just that special kind of person you meet once in a lifetime, and if I had chosen to pass up the chance to be friends with him, I know I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I didn't, though, and I have no regrets. I hope...Davis feels the same way..._  
_

_ T.K. sighed softly and stepping away from the table, he said, "If you decide to change your mind about my friends, let me know. Until then, you and I are nothing but acquaintances."_

_Domu tried to protest, but T.K. cut him off. "My friends and I are a packaged deal. You want to be friends with me, then you have to learn to respect them and prove to me that you actually care about my feelings. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be." _

_Turning, T.K. walked away, leaving Domu and the others staring after him. He spotted Kari and Yolei beaming at him, and he smiled at them in return. Obviously thay had overheard the entire conversation, but surprisingly, when he approached them, Kari's face fell._

_"T.K., I think you'd better go talk to Davis," she said quietly, a haunted look in her eyes._

Huh?_  
_

_T.K. stared at his female friend in confusion, uncertain of how to respond. "Huh? Why?" _

_Suddenly the earlier looks on their faces when Domu had been insulting Davis came back to him, and his heart sank so fast he almost heard it hit the cafeteria floor.  
_

_Closing his eyes in horror, he whispered, "He was there, wasn't he?"  
_

_Yolei nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. "Go find him, T.K.," she said with encouragement. "Maybe it's not as bad as we think."_

You're wrong, Yolei, it's worse. I bet he only heard Domu, not me, and that's why he left the cafeteria. What am I going to do? He's never going to believe me now...

_With a hasty wave, T.K. hurried out of the lunchroom to find Davis, his heart racing in his chest._

He has to believe me! He has too! I know he cares about me, even if he won't admit it. At least, he used to...but after today... Oh no...What...what if I've ruined everything...

**_End Flashback_**


	10. Friends Who Matter

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Last time to say that for this fic thank goodness!

Lessons In Friendship

Chapter 10: Friends Who Matter

Davis sank to the ground, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He was in shock, to say the least, and his head was spinning so fast it was making him feel dizzy.

_Did he really just say all of that, or is this just another one of his lies? _

"You're lying," he mumbled, unable to look at his golden-haired friend. He knew his voice was trembling, but there was nothing he could do to mask his emotions. T.K. just had that kind of effect on people, whether you wanted him to or not.

"Davis, do you honestly think I would lie about something like this? Have you ever known me to lie to you before?" T.K. asked quietly, sliding off the bench to sit on the grass across from him, a gentle smile overtaking the blond's handsome features.

"No...but that doesn't mean you wouldn't."

"Davis, he's telling the truth," Kari interrupted, causing both boys to look up at her in surprise. The female Digidestined was smiling, despite the concern in her amber brown gaze, and her hands were folded neatly in her lap. "Yolei and I heard the whole thing. Every word T.K. said is true."

Yolei nodded vigorously in agreement, and surprisingly enough, she gave him a sympathetic smile.

_Should I believe them? Wait, what am I saying. These guys are my friends. We've been through a lot of crazy stuff together and they've never let me down before. How can I doubt them, after all they've done for me? Get a grip, Motomiya. This isn't some huge conspiracy to make you look like a fool or something. Yolei and the others aren't like that. They're not like Domu. They're better people than that jerk._

Ignoring the argument waging back and forth inside his head, Davis remained silent, his eyes focusing on the tiny blades of grass between his fingers. He wanted to believe his friends, but he wasn't sure if he could. Kari was always sticking up for T.K., that much was a known fact, since they were such good friends, and Yolei...well, Yolei never wasted an opportunity to get a good laugh at him, even if it was more out of fun than an excuse to be mean to him. How was he supposed to trust either one of them?

_Great, now I'm suspicious of my friends. What's wrong with me today. They wouldn't hurt me on purpose. Then again, I used to think that about T.K. too..._

"Davis, hey...Come on, look at me."

Davis slowly lifted his head, and he found himself gazing into T.K.'s bright blue eyes. There was sincerity in the blond's gaze that he had never seen directed at him before, but underneath that sincere expression, he could see the strain of anxiety as well.

_Maybe he is telling the truth. He doesn't sound like he's lying to me, and he is right about one thing. He's never lied to me before..._

"Davis," T.K. said quietly, reaching out to put a hand on his arm, "if I didn't care about you, then why am I still here? I could have ditched you a long time ago, but I didn't. Do you know why? It's because even though we fight a lot, we're always there for each other when it counts. You'll always be special to me, even if you might not always see it."

Davis opened his mouth to say something, but for the first time in his life, he had no clue what to say. He was speechless. T.K. had never said something like that to him before. At least, not that he could remember.

_He sounds so...so honest. Oh man, I think my eyes are starting to sting. If I start blubbering like a little kid_ _in front of him_, _I'm never going to show my face in public again! _

"You don't mean that," he whispered, his voice barely a croak.

"Davis," T.K. sighed, shaking him gently by the shoulders. "I never say things I don't mean."

"That's true," Cody agreed, smiling from his seat next to Yolei.

"Besides," T.K. added, looking amused, "if you don't believe me, I suggest you take a good look at Domu's face the next time you see him. That should be convincing enough for you!"

To his own surprise, Davis found himself starting to laugh. "I'd love to see Domu's face right about now!"

"You mean...you believe me?" T.K. asked timidly, avoiding his eyes.

Davis hesitated before saying, "One question. Do you really think I'm the bravest person you know?"

"You heard that?"

T.K. stared at him in surprise, and Davis waved off his golden-haired friend's response with a flip of his hand. "Just answer the question."

"You came to me and allowed me to speak, didn't you?" T.K. asked, smiling softly at him. "That took some nerve, especially considering how the situation must have appeared to you."

_He means it. He really means it! Stupid T.O. Why does he always have to make me care so much..._

But really, he should have seen it coming. This was T.K. after all._  
_

"Davis, can I ask you something? I want an honest answer, so no joking around."

Davis froze at T.K.'s hesitant words, and shrinking back from his friend, he gave the blond a suspicious look. Something told him he wasn't going to want to answer his T.K.'s question, though he knew he would anyway.

_Now what does he want?_

Davis jumped as Ken suddenly put an arm around him, giving him an encouraging look, and leaning close the raven-haired Digidestined whispered, "It's okay, Davis. Just answer T.K. and get it over with. It won't be as bad as you think."

_You're right, Ken, it'll probably be worse...  
_

"Ask then, if it'll make you feel better," he mumbled, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's penetrating gaze.

T.K.'s bright blue gaze never shifted from his face, though his words were quiet and filled with doubt. "Do you...care about me as much as you care about our other friends?"

T.K.'s voice was so low, Davis just barely heard the blond, but he did hear, and the words made his face turn bright red. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Please, just answer the question."

Davis thanked the heavens that T.K. wasn't looking at him, because his face was slowly staring to turn an unpleasant shade of purple. "Do I have to answer that?"

"Yes," T.K. said bluntly, a small smile forming on his lips.

_Jerk!_

T.K. already knew the answer to that question. The blond was just trying to make him sweat, not to mention doing his best to embarrass him in front of the others.

"You know I do," he mumbled. "Don't make me have to say it."

Suddenly T.K.'s face softened, and the blond smiled gently at him in return. "It's okay, you don't have to say it, but I want you to know that I feel the same way about you." T.K. paused for a moment and then said quietly, "Can you forgive me? I never meant to make you think I didn't care."

_It's hopeless! I can't stay mad at him, and truthfully I'm tired of trying._ _There's no way he can be lying and still pull that expression off!_

"Well," he said slowly, "I did have four reasons for liking you. I'm sure I can come up with more if I try hard enough!"

T.K. stared at him for a moment, his eyebrows rising into his hairline. "Have you been talking to Matt?"

Davis's mouth fell open, and he gazed at T.K. in surprise. "How did you know?"

The corners of the blond's mouth twitched up in a smile, and he started to laugh. "This has Matt written all over it!"

"Actually yeah, I did talk to him," Davis replied, aware of the fact that he sounded a bit sheepish. "He told me I should give you a chance to explain yourself, and I guess he was right."

"He usually is," T.K. said softly. "I'll have to remember to thank him later."

"I shouldn't have questioned his friendship skills," Davis muttered, feeling guilty. "If anything, I should have been questioning my own."

T.K. winced. "You doubted Matt's skills in friendship? You _are_ brave! How did he take it?"

"Er...not so well," Davis grinned. "But we're cool now."

"You still haven't answered my question," T.K. murmered. "Do you believe me and accept my apology?"

"Oh alright," Davis grumbled, rolling his eyes. "There's nothing to forgive, and I believe every word you said. Man, you Ishida/Takaishis are a thorn in my side! How do you always managed to get under other people's skin?"

T.K. smiled innocently at him. "It's because you and people like Tai let us!"

Before Davis could stop the blond, T.K. gave him a quick hug before pulling back with a smile on his face. The blond looked radiant, his bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness. Davis, on the other hand, blushed and quickly glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed, but thankfully there were no other students hanging around outside the building at the moment. "T.K.! Can you please not do that in public?"

"Why not? You hugged Matt in public!" Ken teased.

"Ken!"

Davis glared at his best friend, and the two female Digidestined started giggling, hiding their smiles behind their hands.

T.K. just shook his head, hiding a smile of his own. "I'm not even going to ask."

"That was so sweet!" Yolei sighed, and Davis gave her a dirty look.

_Note to self: Never confess anything in front of Yolei ever again!_

T.K. put a warm hand on his shoulder, distracting him from plotting revenge against Yolei, and the blond smiled at him, showing his sincerity. "Davis, your skills in friendship are anything but lousy. So...are we friends again?"

The blond's smile slipped a fraction, and Davis answered it with one of his own. "Yeah, we're friends again, and thanks. That means a lot to me. Actually, do you mind helping me study for a test tomorrow? Otherwise I'm going to fail math!"

T.K. laughed and nodded, slipping an arm around him to give his shoulders an affectionate squeeze. "Of course! Anytime, Davis."

"Hey!" Davis brightened and gave them all a big smile. "Ken's coming to my house right now. Why don't you all come for supper?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Ken added.

They all agreed and leading the pack, Davis lead his friends down the street towards his residence, T.K. walking beside him. At that moment, he happened to look over his shoulder and he spotted Domu coming out of the school, chatting with a few of his friends from the basketball team. The sandy-haired boy spotted him walking next to T.K. and he stopped short, a scowl on his face. As much as Davis wanted to punch the other boy in the face, he contented himself with giving Domu a big smile and a hearty wave. Domu glared daggers at him, but Davis didn't care. He knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that T.K. had not been lying to him. T.K. was his friend, and that was all that mattered, and as far as he was concerned, Domu was forgotten. Real friends were the kind that stuck by you no matter what faults you might have, like T.K., and to Davis that was the most important thing of all.

The End


End file.
